-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Decked out in voluminous Victorian-style dresses , complete with horn-shaped headgear , the Herero ladies of Namibia have held on tight to a piece of 19th century history .

For over a century these women have fiercely protected their dress as a crucial part of their cultural identity .

Their style of dressing was influenced by the wives of German missionaries and colonialists who first came to the country in the early 1900s .

The long dresses are heavy and reflect the style of the Victorian period with numerous petticoats worn to add fullness to their skirts . They are hand-sewn by the women who add their own personal style and flair .

Blogger Mwalimushi Kamati-Chinkoti of My Beautiful Namibia website says wearing the dresses often symbolizes a woman 's place in the society .

She wrote on her website : `` These outfits are regarded as proper dress for traditional married women . By wearing the long dress , a newly-married woman shows her in-laws that she is willing to take up the responsibilities of a Herero home and will raise her children to respect their heritage and their father 's family . ''

`` The Herero women 's long dress has become a symbol of Herero tradition for Herero , tourists , scholars and other Namibians , '' she added .

It is a view echoed by Lutz Marten , a linguist at London 's School of Oriental and African studies with a specialism in the Herero tribe . He explains that the style of dress has become an important part of the Herero women 's identity .

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`` It reflects a strong sense of history and the memory of national rebuilding after the -LSB- Herero-German -RSB- 1904 war , '' he said .

`` It also provides a sense of cultural identity in general , in the historical context and in the context of modern-day Namibia , '' he added .

The colorful dresses are topped off with an elaborate headgear made of a matching fabric .

According to Tim Henshall , a British tour operator who has visited the region for nearly two decades and gotten to know some of the women , the headdress is `` built to represent the horns of the cattle , which are so important to the Himba and Herero communities . ''

`` The Germans in Namibia brought people in to work for them so they took the local communities and gave them work in their houses and on their land , '' said Henshall , who runs Kamili Safaris .

`` Instead of the Herero being topless and barely covered , which would offend the modest attitudes of Victorians at the time , they wanted them to be covered up , '' he added . Henshall added that the women showed no sign of being bothered by wearing the outfits , even in Namibia 's tropical climate .

The Herero and Himba people are a pastoral , cattle-breeding tribe who migrated to Namibia several centuries ago .

The traditional Herero live in the north of the country in the Kunene region and the Damaraland area .

Around 150 years ago , the two groups split and Herero settled in towns and villages while the Himba continued with a nomadic lifestyle .

The Herero women take enormous pride in their outfits and have also developed a sideline in making and selling dolls wearing exact replicas of the dresses to tourists .

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Marten says that keeping the memory of the Herero-German war alive is very important and that there is an annual festival in August to commemorate this . He adds that the Herero genocide in 1904 killed almost 75 % of the population , and the event is a key moment in Herero identity .

`` This is in part assimilation to European culture , and also in part appropriation , a coming-to-terms with , and overcoming of history and the colonial experience , '' he said .

This article was originally published on November 3 , 2011 for ` Inside Africa ' .

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Many Herero women in Namibia wear traditional Victorian-style costume

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The style of clothing was brought to the country by German colonialists over 100 years ago

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The hats worn by Herero women represent the horns of cattle

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The style of dress continues to be passed down through generations